Lawn mower package



May 5, 19 w. c. DAVIS LAWN MOWER PACKAGE Filed April 29, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. )Yd ZteT fieny,

y 1942, w. c. DAVlS 2,281,923

LAWN MOWER PACKAGE Filed April 29, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I VENTOR.Walter U fi e/is W Lfifi ATTORNEYS.

Patented May 5, 1942 LAWN MOWER PACKAGE Walter C. Davis, Richmond, Ind.,asslgnor to G. W. Davis Corporation, Richmond, Ind., a corporation ofIndiana Application April 29, 1940, Serial No. 332,222

1 Claim.

The object of my invention is to make more eillcient and less costly thewholesale and retail distribution of hand-driven lawn mowers.

Hand-driven lawn mowers comprise a cuttercarryingwheel-and-roller-supported main body and a push-bar or handle pivotallyattached to and separable from the main body. The main bodies of thesemowers have an overall dimension, transverse the line of travel,generally varying from 14" to 18" depending upon the length of thecutter and consequent width of the swath to be cut. This-dimension willhereafter be referred to as the mower width. The height of the mowerapproximates the diameter of the driving wheels, and fore-and-aft lengthexceeds height and is considerably less than width. The push bars orhandles have an overall length of about 46" with a cross-bar or T-headat the upper end to be grasped by the operator, and a fork at the lowerend for pivotal connection with the main body of the mower between thesupporting wheels and the roller, so that operators of varying heightsmay readily applythe requisite ing the handle shank and fork irons, I amable to pack all of the parts for a complete mower in the same box orcontainer which has heretofore been used only as a container for themain body vention.

driving force. In most instances these pushbars or handles comprise amain stem, a pair of readily separable fork irons, and a cross head,

the main shank havinga length considerably to nine where a single ordercalled for six to nine mowers.

Most manufacturers produce a price grade line of mowers, the pricesvarying according to construction and style of the main body and handle.The consequence has been that, for many years, in the transit frommanufacturer to jobber, from jobber to dealer and from dealer to user,handles become separated from mowers for which they Fig. 1 is a verticalsectional view of a complete packaged lawn mower embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 a vertical section on a plane at right angles to the plane ofFig. 1;

Fig. 3 a horizontal section; and

Fig. 4 a plan of my improved handle.

Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are, respectively, like Figs. 1, 2 and 3 but showing adifferent arrangement of the fork irons.

In the drawings l0 indicates the main body of the mower with itstraction wheels ll, rear roller l2 and pivot pins 13 for the forkironsofthe handle. The container 14 is a standard container which has long beenin use as a container for the main body and having internal width W,length L, and height H corresponding closely with the width W, length L,and height H of the mower body, as defined above.

In order that the handle may be readily packed in the smallest containerwithin which the main body I may be placed, I make the shank l5 of thehandle considerably shorter than has heretofore been customary and Icorrespondingly lengthen the fork irons l6, 16. The shank I5 isconveniently a trifle longer than the width of the main body l0 and notlonger than a diagonal of the interior of the container so that, asshown in the drawings, one end of the shank may be tucked under one ofthe wheels II and the other end laid on the other wheel ll. As thesewheels ar now commonly provided with rubber tires, the shank will ridecomfortably in this position without marring. In the absence of rubbertires, small pads may be placedin position to protect the handle shank.

were intended and errors of selection and application have beencontinuous sources of contro- I have discovered that by properlyproportion- The accompanying necessary. lengthening of the fork ironsIS, IS does not carry their lengths to materially exceed the width ofthe main body so that the leg irons may be conveniently arrangedalongside the main body ID, as shown in Figs. 1 to 2, or laid upon thepad ll (Figs. 5 to 7) which is laid upon the main body It and forms asupport for the cross bar is of the handle.

The fork irons It, It are detachably s'ecurable I v to shank II by boltsin the usual manner shown,,and"the crossbar n is detachably se- I'curabletothe other end of shank ll'by bolt 2|,

usual. Other means of detaehably securing I ithe fork irons andcross-bar to the handle shank may, of course, be adopted withoutdeparting frommylinvention.

I have: found it advisable, in the case of the .usuals'mallest 12" sizeof mower, to pack 11; i

containers of the same size as those .used for a 14" mower, suitablefiller pads being inserted against one or both of the tractionwheelstion is a multi-part mower handle which, when and with 'no individualpart having a length greater than an available internal dimension of aContainer within which the main body of the mower may be packed.

mower in the manner described, I have been'able to provide acommercially acceptable lawn mower package insurably containing all ofthe necessary parts of the mower yet having a size no greater i thanpackages which have been, for many years,

made, to contain only the'main body of ,the

mower; By this means I have reduced shipping costs and, at the sametime, insured accuracyof delivery to the ultimate consumer. I

I Thepresentmethod, ofshipping lawn mower.

I By proportioning the operating handlefofa I I lawn mower relative tothe main body of the the products of several competing manufacturers.

Most retailers dolikewise; Both Jobbers and retailers find it necessaryto unbundle the handles. Distribution of pooled shipments by the commoncarrier often results in delivery of handles made by one manufacturerwith mower bodies produced by a competitor, or delivery of bundles ofhandles for one style of mower with mowers 1 of another ,style',,' withresultant claims for shortage. 1 I I By packaging mowers according to mypresent 1 invention all of these annoying difficulties and I I 5possibility of shortage claims are avoided. Pooled shipments bycompeting manufacturers in the same city may be made without possibilityof annoying confusion. Each'package contains I all of the proper partsfor a complete mower insured against possibility of confusion or loss ofproper parts. 7

-It will, of course, be understood that while the drawings illustrate ametal handle that a wooden shank handle may be substituted so long asthe wooden shank and fork arms are properly proportioned.

I claim as my invention:

A lawn mower package comprising,-an assembled, lawnmower main body,acontainer closely enclosing said main body, a one-piece bodies inindividual boxes and their handles g accompanying bundles results inmuch confusion.

Every manufacturer produces'various styles or; I mowers, many of whichhave distinctive handles.

In" many instances two or more such manufac-i turers are located in thesameicitys Pooled slnipfor proper manual manipulation of the mower.

ments (either in carload lots or less than car- I load lots) are common.Many jobbers handle handle-shank completely enclosedin said container,handle-shank extensionirons also en- I closed in said container, and ahandle-shank crossbar also enclosed in said container; the

extension irons being attachable to the-handle shank'and to the mainbody of the mower; the

handle shank having a length no greater than an interior diagonaldimension of the container and the extension irons, when" connected andattached to the'main'bodyof' the mower, having a substantially standardeflective length adequate C; DAVIS.

